Lance Stephenson has already started more games this season than he had in the first two professional seasons combined. While he’s continued to display a tendency to do a bit of over-dribbling, he’s generally looked as though he belongs on an NBA floor, which is more than could’ve been said for him in years past. He’s making half of the six shot attempts he averages, and better than 46% of his threes on one make per game. Never known for his perimeter jump shot, Lance has clearly worked on that aspect of his game. He’s also excelled in transition, where his six-foot-five, 230-pound frame makes him something of a freight train in the open court. Nevertheless, Stephenson’s favorite thing to do remains clear. He’s a streetballer at heart, and young Lance loves nothing more than to break down his defender in half-court situations. He’s experienced mixed results in his early-season attempts to do so, but the spin move he put on Tony Parker Friday night was certainly effective — so much so that it spun Parker in a circle and left him sprawled out on the floor. From there, the All-Star point guard watched in agony as Stephenson put the cherry on top with an up-and-under layup.
To be fair, Tony got the last laugh. He finished with a game-high 33 points as the Spurs bounced back from a double-digit deficit to defeat the struggling Pacers 104-97. Stephenson scored 9 on 4-5.
